Changed Destiny

Near the center of the Star Dou Great Forest, an extraordinarily strange golden pillar of light rose into the sky.

Centered on the pillar, an imperceptible yet palpable Power of Destiny swept across the entire Star Dou Great Forest.

Because of the arrival of this Power of Destiny, the fates of all the humans and Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest changed, some more and some less.

In the eastern part of the Star Dou Great Forest, a middle-aged man with rabbit ears clutched a remarkably unusual spirit herb in his hand.

Before him, a pitch-black giant bear roared and lunged at him. Despair filled the middle-aged man's face.

Was he going to die here? No! His daughter was still so young, and his wife was in poor health. No!

The pain he had expected never came. The middle-aged man opened his eyes and saw the giant bear bowing in worship toward a golden pillar of light that had risen nearby.

An opportunity! Without hesitation, the middle-aged man gathered the last of his Soul Power and ran.

"Blue Silver Grass Entanglement!"

"Tang Sheng, take Xiao Ya and get out of here! I can't hold this beast back much longer!"

The middle-aged man, whose hair still showed traces of black and whose face was deeply wrinkled, had six Soul Rings flickering around him: two yellow, two purple, and two black.

He desperately urged his Blue Silver Grass Martial Soul to restrain the golden giant tiger before him.

"No, Father! I can't leave you behind. I'm going to fight alongside you!"

A handsome middle-aged man clutched the huge claw wound on his chest, blood pouring from it, and started to rush forward.

"Go! I can't hold it for long. The Tang Sect needs you!"

"Sheng! We have to go! Father won't last much longer."

Beside the man named Tang Sheng, a beautiful, mature woman grabbed his hand, trying to flee with him.

At that moment, a golden light rose, and the Power of Destiny spread.

The golden tiger, which had been driven berserk and restrained by the middle-aged man, suddenly calmed down and bowed in worship toward a certain place.

Seeing the Golden Tiger King stop attacking, Tang Sheng ran over to his father, hoisted him onto his back, and turned to leave.

"Lexuan, we won't be able to hold on much longer. You have to survive."

"We can't all die here. The future of Shrek is in your hands!"

"No, don't! Don't do that!"

A blood-red flower-shaped plant Soul Beast wrapped its thick roots around eight people.

A gentle woman, tears streaming down her face, stood beside three unconscious people and tried to stop the eight people up ahead.

No! Please, no!

Just as despair filled Zhang Lexuan's heart, a powerful Power of Destiny spread through the area.

The thick, vine-like tendrils of the once-rampaging crimson flower slowly released the eight people and began bowing in worship toward a certain place.

The eight badly wounded people tumbled to the ground. They stared at the Soul Beast, bewildered. What was going on?

Seeing that the Soul Beast had stopped attacking, Zhang Lexuan shouted, "What are you waiting for? Move!"

The eight dragged their exhausted bodies along, and Zhang Lexuan struggled to her feet. The nine of them carried the three unconscious people and quickly retreated.

"Lexuan, where are you?"

"Elder Xuan!"

The group's faces lit up.

In the Star Dou Great Forest's Great Ferocious Land, a huge black dragon's head rose from a jade-green lake as smooth as a mirror.

"Who dares lay a hand on the Auspicious Beast?"

The dragon's roar shook the heavens. Di Tian quickly pinpointed the Auspicious Beast's location. His mental power swept over the area and found Huo Yuhao, whose Eye of Destiny was touching the Auspicious Beast's.

That human had actually dared to touch the Auspicious Beast there. Did he know what it meant to press against the Auspicious Beast's Eye of Destiny?

And where was that fool, the Scarlet King? The Auspicious Beast had been defiled by a filthy human, and where was he?

Di Tian's face twisted with fury. He was just about to cut Huo Yuhao into pieces.

"Wait, Di Tian!"

A cool, unquestionable voice sounded from the bottom of the lake. A magnificent purple eye appeared in its waters.

"My Lord, why have you awakened?" Di Tian lowered his enormous dragon head and asked respectfully.

"The collision of these two Powers of Destiny washed away some of the divine power markings on me, allowing me to awaken early."

"Congratulations, my Lord." Hearing Gu Yuena say she could awaken early, Di Tian's eyes glimmered with excitement.

If Gu Yuena could take over the Star Dou Great Forest early, would he finally be free? Could he go and do what he wanted?

"Di Tian, I awakened this time to tell you not to harm that human. You must protect him. Under no circumstances can he die in the Star Dou Great Forest."

Di Tian was puzzled. "My Lord, that human defiled the Auspicious Beast. He deserves to be cut into a thousand pieces. Why are you stopping me from killing him—and ordering me to protect him?"

Gu Yuena then explained to Di Tian the secrets behind the convergence of the Powers of Destiny.

"...Each is within the other, and their fates have now become one."

"The Auspicious Beast now possesses human fortune, and that human carries our fortune as well."

Di Tian found it all rather unreal. "Then, my Lord, is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"For us and for humanity alike, this is an enormous stroke of good fortune."

"The fortunes of both races have intertwined and become shared. One plus one is far greater than two."

"After this fusion, the Auspicious Beast's power of fortune will grow stronger. Perhaps it will also give your million-year Heavenly Tribulation the slimmest chance of success."

Di Tian's golden eyes brightened. He asked respectfully, "Is there really a chance?"

"There's only a glimmer of hope. With the Divine Realm watching, they would never allow you to survive the million-year Heavenly Tribulation."

"Also, the Auspicious Beast's fate is now intertwined with that human's. Protect him. Even if he dies, he must not die at the hands of our Soul Beasts."

"Ah...!" Di Tian looked reluctant at the thought of protecting a human.

Gu Yuena sighed. Dragons really were stubborn creatures. She gathered her power.

The enormous purple eye vanished from the surface of the Lake of Life, replaced by a black-and-white Taiji symbol.

"Di Tian, the relationship between that human and the Auspicious Beast is now like this Taiji symbol."

"If something happens to one of them..." As she spoke, the white half of the Taiji symbol collapsed. Gu Yuena asked, "What do you think would happen to a Taiji symbol with only one half left?"

"...I understand." Di Tian fell silent for a long time, then replied, "Yes, my Lord!"

"Good. There's one more thing, Di Tian!"

"The fates of that human and the Auspicious Beast are now linked. Their destinies are bound to intersect."

"If one day the Auspicious Beast wants to go to the human world to find him, let her go without hesitation!"

"When two children of fortune are together, nothing in this world can kill them!"

The two people at the center of the Power of Destiny were nearing the end of their entwined fates.

As the golden pillar of light shooting into the sky dissipated, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion and Huo Yuhao fainted from exhaustion.

As Huo Yuhao lay unconscious, a red vertical eye radiating a golden glow opened silently on his forehead, then slowly closed again.

At some point, a wisp of gray air arrived and quietly slipped into the closed vertical eye on Huo Yuhao's forehead.

"Where did you come from, you? How dare you take my place!"

"Get out, now! I'm still an unmarried maiden!"